Miner&#39;s tool for punching and shearing coal



JMaly 17, 1932. E, J, NEWBAKER 1,858,518

MINERS TOOL FOR PU-NGHING AND SHEARING (SJOAL Filed July' 8, 1930 /V/VESS.' Y, wlw/ varo/'mu a er Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED Mas EDWARD J'. NEWBAKR, OF WINDBER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BEIBVIBTD-` rssasis WHITE GOAL MINING COMPANY, OF WINDBER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF VPIENNSYITANIA MINERS TOOL FOR vIl?TINGHING AND SHEARING GOAL Application filed July 8, 1930. Serial No. 466,405.

My invention relates to tools adaptedto be mounted in pickhammers and to be rapidly reciprocated thereby and is especially adapted to the mining. of mineral sub- V'S stances and particularly those of a-some-v what friable nature, or those which have surfaces of cleavage permitting portions to be removed from the mass in situ, although it may be applied to more amorphous and massive materials. l

The tool, when properly supported and manipulated, is particularly adapted to min# ing coal of various kinds .whether bituminous, semi-bituminous, anthracitic or anthra cite and is also adapted to mining stones, clays of diferent kinds and' massive but preferably cleavable materials, but I can also mine massive and strong minerals`,as to mine such minerals only requires morev time and energy. i l

A tool embodyingmy invention is intende and adapted to be operated by any' suitable reciprocating apparatus and it' may be operated pneumati'cally or otherwise somewhat after the fashion of lwhat is known as a pneumatic rock drill, jackhammer or pickhammer, and in order to best accomplish the purpose the cutting tooly operated thereby is subjected to a very large number of impulses in the general direction ofl its longeraxis.

I prefer to use a` pickhainmer which is adapted to powerfully reciprocate the cutting tool, several hundred times a minute, thus quickly producing the cut. :The tool is also adapted to produce the lateral'shearing forces in the position desired by theoperator and as directed by him. Y

In developing my improved tool Ihave coveredV that the specific shape and contour of the tool is of primary importance in securingl eiflciency of operation, and my invention comprises a tool of such shape and contour. The tooll comprises a relatively long shank, which, throughout most of its length, should be polygonal, preferably hexagonal, but may be` round, in cross-section. Its front or working end is bent at an angle to the shank proper and should be pyramidal in shape, tapering to what may be calleda blunt point at its extremity. It is preferable that the pyramidal end shall comprise sides of substantially equal area so that any cross-section through the same shall be a polygon of substantially equal sides and angles; It is also preferable that the'pyramidal end vshall comprise four sides, so that any cross-section through the sameshall be a rectangle and preferably a square. 7

Itis essential that the working end of the tool shall be integral with the shank proper. Itshouldbe from four to sin inches in length, although the precise length may be' varied. The length of the-shank may also be varied, although I prefer a tool about 21/2 feet long for the beginning of the mining 'cut and a tool of about 4 feet long for finishing the cut to the depth required preparatory to wedging or blasting the coal'from the mass in place.

The angle of the axis of the working end of the tool to the axis of the shank proper may varylfrom 5 to 30`degrees, but should ordinarily be between l0 and 20 degrees, preferably about 15 degrees. The desirable angularity depends somewhat upon the type of material lto be mined.

The cuts are preferablyformed in the lower` portion vof the coal seam, but may be located at the sides, top or otherwise, to meet particular conditions.

Thepickhammer, with vthe tool applied thereto, may be mounted, in any convenient manner, on a support, such as an overhead suspension or trolley, from which it may be swung to allow it to be traversed along the length of the,l working faceand to be swung backward or forward or turned at any desired angle; or thepickhamm'ermay be mounted on a wheeled carriage so as to bemanipulatable in substantially the same way. The pickhammer and cutting tool, however, need not be supported by any special carrier, but may be held in and supported .solely by the hands ofthe operator. Y

The tool can be used to make-a cut in any location or position and can also cut the coal in the solid or the coal in pillars, which is under great pressure, and such -pressure `facilitates the removal ofthe coal, for the reason that the innate forces existing in such coal, due to the excessive weight of superincumbent material thereon, cause yit to be more readily cut, sheared or shattered,.and in :many cases such coal is removed by cutting the exposed faces at various locations without blasting, as compared with undercutting the coal seam as described and illustrated herein, and then blasting it.

Based `upon the long and extensive trials which I have made, it is found that, with .the described shape and angular arrangement of the Working end of the tool, the violent reciprocation of the tool several hundred times per minute results in penetration into the coal in place and in a lateral pressure which readily cleaves or shears a portion or portions from the mass of the .coal seam.

It will be understood that, in the use of the tool in undermining coal, the miner first sumps i-n by making a .cut approximately `triangular in form both in plan and elevation and then proceeds with the undercut by shearing the coal ofi' at -the side', thus proceeding across the working face tothe length` desired.

After this is done he may take a longer tool and again sump into the coal near the end of the first cut and `finish the cut in the general form shown on the drawings, after which holes may be drilled in the upper portions and the coal shot down withexplosives or otherwise removed from itsV original position. V

Vhile the miner is cutting the coal in the manner indicated, another may be helping him with ascraper and a shovel to remove lthe cuttings.

I-Iaving thus given a general description of the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. l is a vertical cross-section through a coal mine showing the cut of somewhat triangular or tapered form produced by lmy tool.

Fig. 2 is .a substantially horizontal crosssectionthrough the coal showing the cut'with a plan view of kthe working portion 0f the tool in operative position.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the tool.

Fig. 4 is a view, similar to Fig.3, showing the working end of the ltool and a part of the contiguous shank. l

Fig. 5 is Va view similar to Fig. 4 taken at right angles thereto.

The pickhammer a, or other tool reciprocating mechanism, may be of any suitable form such as is known or used for drilling and cutting rock, minerals or other substances, -and is preferably pneumatically operated, although it may be operated electrically or otherwise. The suspension means shown need not be particularly described, since it forms'no part of the invention. vThe pickhammer is provided with a socket, preferably polygonal in cross-section, adapted to .receive the Vend b of the shank opposite the working end, a collar c limiting the extent to which said end is insertable in said socket. The main body d of the shank is preferably hexagonal in cross-section. The working endy e of the shank, which must be integral with the main body of the shank, has its axis inclinedat an angle of about 15 to the axis of the lmain body of the shaft. Throughout the major part of its length, that is, from thek extremity to near the main body of the shank, the working end e has the shape of a regular four-sided pyramid, varying therefrom i only in that the extremity need not be a. sharp point, although departing therefrom only in being somewhat blunt. At -all distances along the length of the working end from the point to where it merges into the body of the shank, a cross-section will be a square.

It is permissive, however, to-deviate somewhat from absolute equality in the areas of the four sides, to the vextent that a crosssection taken at any point along its length may be somewhat oblong, but no part of the working end should, :across'its greatest width, substantially exceed the diameterof the main body of the shank. Instead of the working end being a four-sided pyramid, it may have a different number of sides, but in any case cross-sections through the pyramidal working end should give polygons whose sides and angles do not very greatly deviate from equality. f

Y To illustrate the operation of the tool', I have shown the roofl() and floor l1 of the mine, and a seam of coal 5. 6 indicates the undercut which may be produced by my improved tool. 7 is the side wall or rib at the beginning portion of the undercut, while 8 is 1i.

what is known as the sump or beginning portion of the opening or undercut in the coal seam. The line 9 indicates generally the depth of the first cut, while the inner line 9',

which is substantially parallel thereto, indicates the final depth;

In operation, the miner, who is sitting or Crouching on the floor of the mine, places the pickhammer andV tool in position, with or without'the aid of a carrying apparatus, admits air to the pickhammer, causing it to reciprocate in the directionl of the axis of the shank of the tool, andV so manipulates it as to cut the sump 8 in the face ofthe coal.` He then continues the punching and shearing tide) of the coal until he has traversed the length of the cut extended. While he is so operating an attendant or helper may shovel away the cut coal so that the miner can see and better direct his work. While this is being accomplished the pickhammer is so operated that the inclined moving end of the tool penetrates into the massive coal in place and also shears off portions sidewise due to the penetrating action of the point and the powerful lateral component of the pressure thereby produced, thereby forcing the fragments sidewise in a shearing manner into the opening.

The first part of the cut is preferably made with a relatively short tool and the second, and usually final, part of the cut is preferably made with a relatively longer tool. After these cuts are finished, the coal is blasted or otherwise forced down in the usual manner, which is permitted by the cut, after which it is loaded in cars and transported to the coal tipple, whereupon the face of the coal is ready for a repetition of this operation.

Although the cut in the coal seam is illustrated at the bottom thereof, my apparatus will cut it at the top, the middle or else- Where as will be readily understood.

The particular' construction of punching and shearing tool described I have found to have the ideal combined penetrating and shearing effect which is best adapted to accomplish the objects of the invention. The shearing action is due to the inclination of the working end of the tool, and the eiiiciency of the shearing operation is due to the shape body and whose axis has an inclination relative to the axis of the main body of between 5 and 30 degrees, said working end being substantially pyramidal in form and whose sides taper from the sides of the body toward substantially a common point whose lateral distance from the axis of the body substantially exceeds half the thickness of the body.

2. A punching and shearing tool adapted especially for coal mining and comprising a shank composed of a substantially straight body extending throughout the major p0rtion of its length and a comparatively short working end rigid and integral with the main body and whose axis has an inclination relative tothe axis of the main body of between 5 and 30 degrees, said working end gradually tapering from the sides of the body toward substantially a common point from a thickness approximating that of the main body of the shank to a thickness which, on any diameter, is substantially negligible, the lateral distance of the extremity of the working end from the axis of the body substanialy exceeding half the thickness of the In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Windber, Pa., on this 30th day of J une, 1930.

EDWARD J. NEWBAKER.

of the working end. The working end has f suiiicient side bearing surface so that it does not crush the coal on the side supported by the main body of the seam so that the'weaker and unsupported kside must yield and be broken from the mass into the opening, with results of efficiently producing the cut desired.

Although I have described and illustrated my invention in considerable detail I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details thereof as shown and described, but may use such modications in, substitutions for, or equivalents thereof, as are embraced within the scope of my invention, or as pointed out in the claims.

This application is ay continuation in part of applications filed by me Nov. 21,1929, Serial No. 408,710 and January 1, 1930, Serial No. 418,177.

What I claim and desire to ters Patent is 1. A punching and shearing tool adapted especially for coal mining and comprising a shank composed of a substantially straight body extending throughout the maj or portion of its length and a comparatively short working end rigid and integral with the main protect by Letiso 

